Federated farmers busts 1080 myths

In the lead feature of the latest edition of the National Farming Review, currently being posted to Federation members, Fed Farmers has laid down the gauntlet to anti-1080 groups. "1080 works but the growing mythology about it doesn't," says Don Nicolson, President . "The article in the summer edition of the National Farming Review was independently written by ecological journalist Dave Hansford. He makes it very clear that unless we want to kiss our economy and native fauna and flora goodbye, then 1080 is the tool to use. "Most importantly, he debunks the lies, half-truths and pseudo science used by 1080 opponents. It seems they are forced into making ever more outrageous claims, so by putting the facts forward, we have given our members the resources to counter with fact reports Scoop. "I think anyone who has been into a forest where 1080 is used appreciates how quickly our native ecosystems bounce back once possums, rats, weasels and other pests are removed. "For farming, this reduces the threat of bovine tuberculosis and the immense economic problems that come with it. By backing 1080, Federated Farmers stands together with the Department of Conservation, the Animal Health Board and Forest & Bird. "Yet the National Farming Review is not just about asking "˜what's your poison?'. It also has a second major feature on Horizons Regional Council's One Plan to rule them all. Federated Farmers asks if the One Plan is an expensive bridge too far. "The focus seems to be about one element in the periodic table, Nitrogen, when the greatest impacts on river quality seem to come from urban and industrial sources. You can't have a sensible debate when the focus is not on the major sources of pollution.